Getting on to the Good Stuff

This week's been a good one. I feel like I turned certain things around for myself. Lisa Waugh and Kate Warren must have rubbed off on me. Lisa has always been so positive. Kate has always been proactive in taking care of herself as a dancer (and as a regular human being). Every night for the past four evenings, I have been taking time for extra stretching and reflection in order to absorb all the things that I'm asking my mind, body and soul to keep up with lately. See my yoga blog if you're interested in what I mean: http://rashanaworksyoga.blogspot.com.

David and I are working on the next video chapter about the move to Ohio. It's coming up, so stayed tuned!

I'm also excited about working on Jennifer Micallef's website. Images coming soon!

So much

Every day there is so much going on and so many tiny discoveries happening. Intense to say the least. It's like "Deconstructing Rashana." It's all good work, but it's definitely a lot to behold. I wish I had the time to really journal about this. All the wonderment seems worthy of recording. And yet, I don't have the time because I'm too busy being with all this "personal growth."

That said, I have a couple of things to mention. If you're reading this blog, please visit Michael Morris's: http://morrismichaelj.wordpress.com/. His reflection on the Wexner performance is insightful and beautiful and definitely worth reading.

Another bit of news before I head back into the coursework I should really be doing right now - I am in the process of updating the look and feel of my blogs and website. I can't believe I'm going to utter these words, but I have yet another blog. It's not really a blog - it's really a landing page to my current blogs. If you want to trace my steps and try to find a common theme in the layout of my blogs, start here: http://minuet.dance.ohio-state.edu/~smith6960/

Then click on my Blog link. This will take you to my OSU blog (http://rashanaworks.wordpress.com) This was part of an assignment in my Dance and Technology class. I won't be updating my OSU webpage or blog as they just point to my current blogs and rashanaworks website, so really this is just more information than you need - which is how I feel right now - overloaded with personal information.

The Day before the First Day of Grad School

We're so close to getting settled into the new house. Tonight is "accessory" night where I see if there's a place for a few select items to place on furniture, like these new bedside tables I painted black.

The windows desperately need curtains and the walls need artwork!

Hmmm. I wonder when I'll HAND SEW these curtains???!!!

Back to the videos!

Let's re-visit July 2009, shall we?

My First Labor Day in Columbus

After a weekend of moving boxes and unpacking (with still more left to unpack), it's Labor Day. And it's raining. In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - "The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain." Honestly, there's nothing better than a quiet weekday holiday with overcast skies and soft rain. Sweet!

She's Leaving Home Part 2

Thank you Kevin, Karalyn, Gus and Bess!

Video of the Day I Left

Second Sunday

Several happy events today already:

1. I found a Whole Foods.
2. I found a French Bakery and a Graeter's Ice Cream across the street from said Whole Foods.
3. For the first time ever, I watched the movie "Better Off Dead". I will always love John Cusack.
4. I also watched "The Sound of Music" which put me in a positively good mood (redundant, I know.)
5. I went for a walk around Victorian Village and Harrison West and visited a park.
6. I did NOT thumb through the classifieds.
7. I enjoyed NOT sweating in the shade.
8. I found a bar of soap I was looking for.
9. I ate whatever I wanted and didn't feel a lick of guilt.
10. I treated myself well.

A week later

I've been waiting for a certain piece of equipment to arrive so that I may finish a project and post it. Till then, let me just say that this has been the longest week I've experienced in a while.

It's a strange experience to relocate in an effort to change one's lifestyle. It's a completely frightening prospect when one is also responsible for others at the same time. I spent most of this past week dutifully trying to find a residence for David, Pai and I. It took me a week of looking at places and coordinating the best possible solutions. We have certain needs. I'd like to be close enough to walk, bike or bus to school while NOT living amongst frat houses. David and I both want to be able to walk to cafes, markets, a pub. I would suspect, proximity to biking and walking trails would also be attractive to David. For Pai - she needs a little bit of green space, a fence, a little scenery and some not-so-obnoxious or threatening neighbors - whatever that means. Most importantly we need to be able to transition from owning our own home to renting - which is weird. It feels a little backwards. I can go round and round about my responsibility about finding a domicile for us, but I know that I can only search so much. Usually, the right spot finds you, not the other way around. For now - I'm subletting an apartment from a current dance grad. It's a nice place, but not dog friendly. My sublease is up at the end of July. For August, I have another apartment sublease that accepts a dog and will be big enough for all three of us. It's not ideal in that David and I will be about 20 years older than all of our neighbors - but it's just for a month. Sept 1st we'll move into a single family home. I can't wait! It's a cute cape cod-style house and I think it will be a good home. I'll be happy to make a home with David again. It may have only been a week that I've been gone, but it feels a lot longer.

My reaction to all this change varies as can be expected. I'm doing my best to just observe things as they happen and get to know my way around the town. At night I have disturbing, vivid dreams, but I know they're really just little things surfacing. Things will eventually calm down and I'm looking forward to it. I'm really just trying to remain calm and be present.

“Ideally a painter (and, generally, an artist) should not become conscious of his insights: without taking the detour through his reflective processes, and incomprehensibly to himself, all his progress should enter so swiftly into the work that he is unable to recognize them in the moment of transition. Alas, the artist who waits in ambush there, watching, detaining them, will find them transformed like the beautiful gold in the fairy tale which cannot remain gold because some small detail was not taken care of.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

Last Flex Day Friday

This is officially my last Flex Day Friday. A week from today, I will be on the road towards Columbus. This morning I slept till 8am which was nice since I went to bed last night at 10! It was great! I started working on a little album for the next homeowners. (I always wished someone would have shown me the history of this house, so I'll share what I know. They might not want it, but it was just a thought. It's a small album...) AND then I went to my last restorative yoga class with Lisa.

While downtown, I met Kimberly at a new place for lunch - MoJo's Coffee Cafe. I can't believe this cool place opened up right before I'm moving. They're downtown and they're even open late and on the weekends! David and I might have to go back next week. But enough about MoJo's - I had a wonderful time laughing with Kimberly. Soooo glad I got to see her before leaving.

As I was driving home, it occurred to me that David probably wondered where I had been. When I got home, he was concerned that I might had been back at work. Work? What work?

The rest of the day is going to center around getting ready for tomorrow's garage sale and our SCYC friends. There's a party calling us!!!!

Yesterday's Checklist

Yesterday I had a checklist of things: start training my replacement, have lunch with Ron and Mitch, pick up my reading glasses (because I'm officially old according to eye professionals), go to an annual doctor's appointment, drive to Nacogdoches and see Juanita at Java Jacks, was supposed to see Jeromy while in Nac (but he had to cancel) and then just generally enjoy some quiet time in the house alone for the last time before I move.

This is what we use the fireplace for around here! Nap time.....

Taking the artwork down

I think we got a handle on the virus sweeping our network. I'm looking forward to someone else having to deal with these issues! Before I left today, I cleaned up my office and took the artwork off the walls (one of which is a picture of Jack Kerouac with my favorite quote). My replacement starts tomorrow. I'm not really prepared to train him tomorrow, but I guess it will all come together. A part of me has already left the building (really a while ago). Another part of me thinks I'll be around forever. I'm glad I already packed up my office, because it always feels weird to leave the last day with arms full of boxes.

The quote, by the way, is:

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!”